Dili undecided on 'expert commission'

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayudha met with his East Timorese counterpart Jose Ramos Horta here on Sunday to discuss human rights and the borders between the two countries.

Hassan told reporters after the meeting that the two countries expected to reach an agreement on their land border before October.

Only "10 percent" of the issue remains to be resolved, he said. The discussion followed an agreement on border issues in July.

The two foreign ministers, however, revealed little on the sensitive issue of demands for an international tribunal -- or the latest, an "international commission of experts" -- to try Indonesian Military and police officers for alleged human rights abuses in the aftermath of the 1999 independence referendum in East Timor.

Hassan simply said Indonesia and East Timor were pursuing a bilateral relationship "in the spirit of reconciliation".

Horta would only say that East Timor was adopting a wait-and- see attitude on the call by several international human rights organizations for the United Nations to set up an "international commission of experts" to review efforts to attain justice for East Timor, including those by the special crimes unit at the Dili District Court. The idea was raised by the office of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"We have not received any specific detailed information, such as the terms of reference of this initiative of the secretary- general .... The Timor Leste government will look at this and will respond to this," Horta said.

The UN has yet to respond to a letter signed in June by several non-governmental organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

East Timor's leadership has repeatedly said that it needs good relations with Indonesia. Last week Horta was quoted as saying that calls for an international tribunal to try the 1999 crimes "could be manipulated by certain elements in Indonesia itself" and could cause a "backlash" against the international community.

Calls for an international tribunal follow the latest acquittal of four Indonesian security officers last month by an ad hoc human rights court for rights abuses following the 1999 referendum.

Horta praised Indonesia's success in organizing its legislative and direct presidential election, saying this was a positive sign for continued "constructive" bilateral relations.

"So whenever we deal with this issue of the past, we have to bear in mind the reality of today, of the relationship of Timor Leste with Indonesia," Horta said.

He said he would attend a ceremony to mark the 59th anniversary of Indonesia's independence in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday at the invitation of Governor Piet A. Tallo.